Cloistered cleric help

[LucyInTheSky]

Hello!

I started a new IRL campaigh with some people and decided to play a cloistered cleric. What I had in mind was to play him as a support character to buff/debuff and heal, but in our first session I felt kind of useless..

We started at lvl 1, had a few training fights and all I did was cast bless a few times, put a shield of faith on our tank and shoot my crossbow. Meanwhile the warblade character was cutting down 1-2 enemies per round and soaking up dmg, while the sorcerer was disabling entire groups of mooks with color sprays.

Is this a problem that will go away with levels by itself? We started at lvl1 and are currently lvl2. Are there any other lvl1 spells I should be using instead of the ones I chose? Any other feat/spell suggestion for higher levels are also welcome! :smallsmile:

[Andion Isurand]

First, make sure you put at least 1 rank in each of your knowledge skills before trading away your Knowledge Domain for the Knowledge Devotion feat (as per Complete Champion).

What is your race, feat and your other two domains?

[LucyInTheSky]

The character is a half-elf, domains good and protection and has Extend spell as his only feat.

[Andion Isurand]

Well, unless flavor is a concern, the Planning Domain grants the Extend Spell feat.

If you get the Persistent Spell and Divine Metamagic [Persistent Spell] feats, you'll be able to grant yourself divine power all day long and do more with that crossbow. Zen Archery is also a good feat choice for your ranged attacks.

If you decide to go for 1 or 2 levels in Prestige Ranger (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/prestigiousCharacterClasses.htm#prestigeRanger), you can get more weapon proficiencies and upgrade to the bow and and add ranger spells to your cleric spell list. Don't forget to take the Arcane Hunter ACF to make arcane spellcasters and invocation users your first favored enemy.

[marcielle]

Good Domain isn't that good(Pun-pun intended). Let me refer you to The Cleric's Handbook (brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=420.0). For buffin' I suggest Quicken as opposed to extend. At higher levels, your buffs will last long enough but your casting speed doesn't increase on it's own(Of course, grabbing Persist never hurt anyone). Also, Half ef/orc are generally bad choices. If you are cloistered you have skillpoint up hthe wazhoo. Try aquatic elf. It also nets you free swim speed so you don't have to worry about drowning due to armor penalties. Or any of the elves without a Con hit:Master Race List (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19546874/Master_Player_Race_List_Version_2.0). Though really, Lesser Aasimar are awesome clerics both fluff and crunch.

[Urpriest]

At first level it's hard to feel good as a buffer (unless you're a Druid with Enrage Animal or a sufficiently DFI-tastic bard). Unfortunately, you're also too low level to really mix it up in melee effectively. I'd recommend focusing on out of combat utility for the moment, as you've got a few good spells in that area and your knowledge-related abilities should already be useful.

[marcielle]

Lol Urpriest. Couldn't get the pic to work?

[Urpriest]

Lol Urpriest. Couldn't get the pic to work?

Just felt it would take up too much space. I think the post speaks for itself regardless. :smallbiggrin:

[hex0]

You'd need the Animal Domain to get into Prestige Ranger, but it is a good choice. Unfortunately with your low BAB it would take you awhile to get into.

Knowledge Devotion, Planning Domain and Persistant Divine Powee are also top choices, too. Don't know how much you can change at this point.

Divine Oracle 2 (at least) and Contemplative 1 (at least) are what I reccomend for any Cleric.

Edit: There is also Seeker of the Misty Isle, since you are a Half-Elf.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Half-Elf is probably the weakest race in the entire game. Switch to Human and say he has a bit of elf in him, or switch to Wild Elf and say there's a bit of human in him. Snow Elf from Frostburn would also be a decent choice.

Ice Slick from Frostburn is a Cleric's version of Grease, which is extremely useful for crowd control. Obscuring Snow in Frostburn is one of the strongest spells in the game as long as your party isn't affected by it, which can be accomplished via Snowsight from the Winter domain. Get enough 1st level Pearls of Power and Lesser Rods of Extend to put that on your whole party (make them buy those if they don't want to be blinded by your snowstorm). Ice Axe in the Spell Compendium is amazing if you need to make some attacks yourself, especially with DMM: Persistent. The Cold domain has quite a few extremely useful crowd control and damage spells. I'd also recommend getting the spontaneous domain casting ACF in PH2 for the Cold domain. Note that Chill Metal should cause an opponent to voluntarily drop a weapon, shield, or other item it's cast on. Clearly, a cold-themed Cleric is going to be a particularly strong choice. Snow Elf is just downright fitting.